Vettel: 'Lessons have been taken from 2017'

Sebastian Vettel says his team and himself have taken a few valuable lessons from this year's campaign, and Ferrari is ready to hit the ground running in 2018.

Vettel and the Scuderia gave Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton more than a run for their money in the first half of the season, with the German clocking in before the summer break with four wins and almost a forty-point lead in the championship.

Driving errors coupled with reliability issues saw Vettel's advantage vanish thereafter however as Hamilton pressed on and overhauled his rival, clinching his fourth title in Mexico, with two races to spare.

"We had two or three races that turned out to be very costly for different reasons," the German said ahead of this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"There were lessons to be taken, some obvious and some hidden.

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"Mercedes have been very strong despite a regulation change. The final step is always the hardest, but that is why we are here.

"The team is ready and fired up. We have some good projects in the pipeline."

Despite the disappointment linked to a botched campaign, Vettel praised Ferrari for its progress this year.

"If we can do a similar step for next year, it should be a walk in the park," he said.

"The step we have done this year was incredible. The way the team came out with a competitive car in the beginning and the way we have improved on all levels.

"We have been close all year. Not close enough when it happened. From that, we learned our lessons and those will help us next year.

"It was bitter but now it is positive that we have a couple of races to look forward to next year.

"Everybody is going to be pushing very hard through the winter to make sure we have what we need."

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